Transcripts For CSPAN3 Ukrainian 20240705 : vimarsana.com

We have our next speaker, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the u. S. , ambassador oksana markarova. Thank you very much. Thanks so much. Good morning to everyone. Thank you for having me here, and to lie for your excellent work. During this very difficult 610 days, almost 611, ukraine has been through the full phase of or in ukraine, they were that started the war that started and quickly turned into a conflict, a war. We have lost 14,000 people actually before the fullfledged war started. Still, it was very contained, contained in eastern ukraine, in crimea, and this experience for the past 610 days is, frankly, something we have never had before when we read about it during the world war ii. During this 600 days just going through the list with our people back home and the defense ministry, we have seen we have already lost during this war 70 journalistic voices. 70, 70. That is an unbelievable loss of not only talent but something that should not even happen during the wars. The rules that the russians do not obey are not only rules of engagement, humanitarian laws and rules, but even with your lists read so friends of mine who we found, one was found and still had his press vest on him, so they knew who they were killing. I want to start by thanking all of you, thanking you and those now in ukraine, now in israel, now in so many places covering the war. It is very important it without you, the world would not know what really happened, and it would be so easy for propaganda, for instead of truth, for false narratives to be spread about it. And that is part of the war. Before we go into questions, i want to open with a couple thoughts. First, remind what were fighting for. In wars that go a longer time, sometimes we are all focused on the campaigns and counter offenses, and battles, the missile attacks, losses, and how to repair it. It is important to keep in mind why it started and what were fighting for. In this war, it is very important. Ukraine has always wanted to be independent. We have been fighting for independence during 400 years, literally. That is not a figure of speech. We had a reef period in 19 we had a brief. In 1918, and then shortly after that, and in 1991, more than 92 of ukrainians voted to be independent. It is important to remember that all of us, including crimea, eastern, western, southern, northern ukraine, we all voted to be independent, and this was recognized by all, by all the countries, by all united nations, and by russia. Since this time, we worked tirelessly to move closer to the European Union, to choose our own lives, to develop the democracy. We had a number of free and fair elections, choosing our president on a regular basis. It is very important for the ukrainians. And you heard about the solutions, not a lot of people talking about the revolution in early 1990s when we fought for independence. Our choice was stolen from us. It was not a particular candidate, it was a revolution for democracy. In 1913, dignity. Our european integration was stolen from us. So it is very important for us to be ukrainian, independent, european, and this is what were fighting for, what people went to fight without any weapons. Why am i telling you this . Because all this time that we were fighting for that, russia was planning, preparing to actually attack us, to take us back. Because the whole ideology of Russian Federation since the breakup of the soviet union was how to restore soviet union. They thought it was the biggest mistake or the biggest tragedy. We thought it was the best thing that ever happened to us during the past 400 years. So it has a lot to do with intent. As a military correspondent, you know that every war has three elements. Intent with opportunity and capabilities. Intent was and still is clear from russia. We have to remember that. He wants to destroy ukraine. He wants to occupy all ukraine, and if not possible, destroy it. This is what we see in all of the places. For us, it is clear, very existential war. We have to win. The choice is simple for us. It is important to understand this when you look at the battlefield and when you analyze the battlefield. First, can we fight somewhere and not fight in other places . The answer is no. We know what happens in the under occupied territories. We know people are killed, raped, kidnapped into russia there. So we have to liberate all territories. We have seen it for nine years in crimea in other areas, and with prisoner swaps, we get defenders back, they tell us what they have seen in those basements and former penetration pendant 10 shuri facilities the prison facilities, and they tell us about the people there for five years, three years, detained for with no records and tortured on a regular basis. For us, we have to liberate all of them. Yes, there are some complaints in the south campaigns in the south, in the Summer Campaign started in june. You can debate whether there fast enough or not, but it is a very deliberate campaign. We did not lose during all this time. We are moving forward. It is one of the most difficult operations since world war ii. Yes, while doing this, we cannot abandon other places in ukraine. Yes, we will do everything in the east, do everything with the fleet, doing everything in order to put Russian Troops, and we have more than 400,000 Russian Troops on the territory of ukraine right now, so we have to find it everywhere. We will focus in some months on one campaign or another, but we cannot ask russians not to be active in some places and torture less people. In direct answer to some of the debate was, can we focus somewhere and not focus other places . No, we have to be equal. We have to stop them everywhere and liberate everywhere. Second, is it a neverending war . Answer is no. Theres actually a very clear plan. It is very clear what we need to do in order to liberate all ukraine, and this is the strategic goal that we have. And it is very clear for that goal but also for every goal that we have, as a part of that overarching goal, how do we do that . Even with restrictions, of course, there is not an unlimited supply of air defense or artillery or something else, but it means that we have to gather we have to find the right mix of capabilities and use more game changers. Recently, they used the phantoms in two places, showing the longerrange, not even longrange, even 300 kilometers is not really a longrange, but longer range capabilities so we can reach everywhere on our territory. We can not only prepare the battlefield but we can change the situation. We need to threaten all logistical channels of russians. Helicopters and everything they have. As the Current Situation shows, when we see the frequent visits of hamas and iran to moscow and how theyre coordinating and discussing their actions, and all of us without being present can yes they are not discussing can guess theyre not discussing peace. We have to take into account that russias presence in crimea and other areas is a big threat, not only to ukraine and to our theater but also to the transatlantic and nato forces. So it is our common goal to return the black sea under all of our control instead of it becoming the russia lake. Before we go, because i know you all have questions and i would rather discuss it in the questions, but what is the focus now . We need to sustain the effort. I will use the military formulation for what we need to do now. The victory is in sight. We know what we need to do. We need our partners to stay with us in the supply of weapons, the budget support, which is very important to have the humanitarian and budget support to sustain the efforts in the country. We are getting closer to winter. We know what russia did last winter. I think we can safely bet that they will try to double down on their wartime. Two days ago, they hit the big Postal Distribution Center in the south. Last week, they continued hitting grain storage is another facilities in the south. They are hitting the residential areas. Why . Because without being able to have some victories for them on the battlefield, they are trying to terrorize ukraine everywhere but also trying to decrease our capability to resist and fight. That is why what we need is clear, from air defense to artillery to Armored Vehicles to radars, drones again, the military people and the level of coordination between our two countries but also within other allies at the ram stein group level or the ukraine coordination group, it is very clear what is needed. Question is how to find it, how to deliver it faster to ukraine. Of course, all eyes are on congress right now. The supplementary request the administration has submitted, it is really a National Security supplementary request. The help needed to us, to israel, to other partners is really vital now. We need to be able to sustain the efforts. We still do not need the boots on the ground. But ukraine is much smaller country than russia. So in order for our great defenders to continue the effort, to save more of them, to save more civilian lives, we need a little bit more weapons. We have to be asymmetrical in order to be able to win, and we can win. This is the main point i would like you to take from our discussion today. We can win. We have shown it in the past, we did when we liberated kyiv and other areas, one that a lot of people thought would be Mission Impossible given how much it was under threat, we liberated already so many kilometers in the south when, in fact, their elaborate defense line is built sometimes 40 kilometers wide by the russians. They have the air superiority, and our brave defenders are still moving forward. So we can win, and we need to stay forward together. Thank you all of you who have been in ukraine, and thank you to all of you who will go to ukraine. And we need you more than ever now in ukraine. So please put ukraine on your agenda, your focus, and the embassy will be more than happy to help you organize your trips to ukraine. Thank you so much, ambassador oksana markarova. Thank you for speaking to us and being such an advocate for your country and your willingness to be open and transparent with the press whenever we ask your thank you so much for that. We have a group of militaryfocused people here, so i will try to keep those questions to a minimum because i know youre more on the political sphere. You mentioned congress in washington, there is a new speaker of the house. Speaker johnson has said in recent days that he wants to talk about getting aid for ukraine. He actually said that the United States has to ensure that if Vladimir Putin is not successful. On the other hand, he voted against ukraine aid many times. Do you worry that the United States will not be able to keep its promises to stay with ukraine for as long as it takes . Amb. Markarova we worry about the situation back home. Here, i think it is a task for us. I think it is very promising to hear what the speaker said about that russia that we cannot lose, and we hear about transparency. Frankly, ukraine is very much on the forefront of that. From the beginning of this, all the previous packages, not only we have a very detailed reporting again, we have to be very clear that we are getting the money only in the form of direct budget support, the portion that is real money into our budget. That goes through the World Bank Trust fund. There is reporting on a daily basis on when we get it, how to change it into local currency, and what it will pay for. We have a very primitive budget now because they have cut all expenditures. It goes to the teachers and the Health Care Professionals and to internally displaced people. We literally can track how it gets to individuals. We are reporting it back. In addition to that, we have been working for the past year now, and there is reporting on auditors on how it is used. In the inspector general, one from usaid, one from state department, they have traveled to ukraine and get the information and checking everything here. If you look at all of their reports and look at their public statements, they have been numerous times confirming that the u. S. Aid is used in very transparent, effective, and efficient way, and they have not seen any mismanagement. Military support, we are not getting the money, we are getting the goods. So if were getting from u. S. Stocks, and thanks to the generosity of congress, it can be replenished to buy new quitman for the u. S. , which is a plus we can buy new equipment from the u. S. , which is a plus. The money goes to the american companies, to the local communities, to job creation here. Very grateful for the weapons were getting. When we are getting the weapons, we are using the nato system to record and track them. We know what were getting, where it is, which unit is getting it, literally which soldier is taking it into the battlefield. It is very important for us to have this transparency reporting, not only because we believe in transparency and efficiency. When i was minister of finance in my previous job, and i am very proud of it, i implemented the Public Finance spending portal. And then opened the budget portal. Ukraine is one of the very few countries that has publicly available information on all of the expenditures and all revenues, except for the secret ones. But it is not a lot of them which have been marked as secret. So in the openness, you can take a look of the Public Finance, ukraine is in the top bracket of the countrys. But it is also very important to understand why we need more. It is easy to talk again, sorry for the long answer to your question, we are concerned that delays in this might just cause more death and more wearable situations on the ground. We also have to be very clear, the choice we are making now is not between ukraine getting more support and winning and not getting more support and staying where we are. No, because russia did not change the intent. If we will not get the support, it is a matter of time that russia will start winning. Do not to win the war. To win the war we need Additional Support from the u. S. , European Union and other countries. Right now we have used the support from the u. S. With the humanitarian side we have money available from the last budget. The u. S. Ai is used except for 300 million or less. The package was announced yesterday but it was a small package. We need more support from american companies, for all of that, we need supplementary money. Youyou mentioned iran, hamas and talking with russia. Is this the situation in the middle east, is that concerning to you that the focus will become on the middle that the fl become on the middle east and people will lose focus on ukraine . With hamas and what iran continues to do against us and together with hamas should make people understand that we have to keep focus on both rather than shifting focus. It is the same axis of evil. Russias receiving drones. There was an exhibition at the u. N. And it is clear that it was a same john. But there is a plant in russia there produces them and they can produce a much larger number. Since the beginning of the war, 300 3000 drones have been using ukraine. Last september, there were more than 300 drones total. This is becoming one of the biggest choices of weapon for russia. And we need weapons to intercept them. In order to destroy them in places like crimea. We have to be very clear. We need to win against russia and we need to win against other terrorist and they are related. They are not only talking to each other but finding cooperation with each other. We can only guess what iran is getting from russia with the drones they have been given. Trying to find missiles and additional equipment in order to do harm. Maybe not only us, this could also be used against our colleagues in other place by hamas or another terrorist organization. We have to widen the focus and understand that we have to win all of this. The u. S. As the free the leader of the free world can afford to keep the focus on all of this. You mission progress. Mention progress. How much territory have ukraine captured back from russia . I would encourage everyone to use the maps, you can track the changes. Its near 50 i cant give you the exact square kilometers. Everything up to kyev, zaporizhzhia and 50 of what the russians have occupied. The attacks from longrange weapons, how have they affected the battlefield at this point and how have they affected the morale of ukrainians . You have seen the artillery power. We have seen destroyed helicopters in russia in both places that were headed by the strike. These are capabilities that wont be used against us. It affected the morale up at the planning of the russians. Before that, we very carefully planted their ammunition two or three kilometers beyond the line that we knew was the one breach. To have something that can reach longer and hopefully we will get something that can reach longer than that will not allow them to comfortably store, plan, deliver death on us because they will note that there is defense everywhere and that will be a game changer. Other unregulated weapons have made their way to ukraine. We would like to surprise the russians on the battlefield but what we can tell you if you ask anyone i just spoke two days ago we had an event on ukrainian artists who are in the armed forces. One of them is a world famous film director who spent years he was forcibly arrested by russians in crimea. He joined the army as soon as this war started. He was wounded twice in the process of saving life. We liberated we are performing well on the battlefield and we look forward to more effort in the future as well. [indiscernible] i am withi am with the americane Front Project with is the collaboration of several stations. Lets circle back to the american political scene. I think it is no secret at all that the last president had an unusual affinity for the russian leader. Back candidate has a lot of sway for the house and one of his colleagues is now leader of the house. What happens if all of the support goes away . Not enough to when but what happens if they pull all of the support . It is going to be extremely difficult for us. Its very difficult to guess what will happen but i can tell you that ukrainians will keep fighting. Whether we will die fighting or fight successfully, we dont know. But we know that we dont have another home or another land and we fight and till were able to do so. Thats what ukrainians did after world war ii ended. All the way until 1954. The implications of that will be much wider than just to the ukraine. After they have violated the u. N. Charter and all the rules of both countries. He can win over ukraine and move forward then the question is not only what ukrainians do but what will all of us do . We have to be very clear that it will be very difficult. We are 100 dependent on our partners. We have started our own productions of drones. And ukraine is one of the fastest producers with new capabilities but we need air defense and we need artillery. Just recently we had a reform of the Defense Industry but that will take time. We dont want to be dependent 100 even on our friends and allies. That is why we are putting in effort on restarting on our production side. That is why this supplementary help now is so important. In addition to that we do have help from European Countries and other countries. Without the United States it is going to be very difficult which is the diplomatic word i should use. But i look at all of the polls and talking to both parties. We still have bipartisan support. Whether you look at the Democratic Party and believes or you look at the reagan doctrine or what we hear from our republican friends. If you believe in freedom and democracy. If we believe we should defendant and we should do it together while it is still contained in ukraine. Lets listen to what putin says. He has not only talking about getting ukraine occupied he wants to restore the soviet union. He is talking about the baltic states, poland. If he is emboldened by winning in ukraine then it is just a matter of time when he will attack someone else and it will be more difficult for the nato countries. Require the u. S. Or other nato troops on the ground. Is there any scenario where ukraine does not accept the full removal of Russian Forces from their territory. Is is their agreement that would not require full removal of russians from ukrainian territory . Ukraine territory including crimea in the east . The short answer is no. We will not accept that scenario. In 2014 we agreed and signed the answer into court. It was right after the president fled. Our military was destroyed by a rush blood regime. Russian regime. They had a secret service, russian passports. Everything they did while in a power was dismantling whatever we had been able to do in the previous years. We did not have our own capacity or armed forces to really fight. Thats not the case now. Everything someone has suggested to us, we have had a stalemate where russia kept shooting at us so we did not respond. We have tried to use every diplomatic solution to restore our borders. We put all of the effort into it and what is residue . They use all of those discussions to divert our attention and pretend that they are trying to find a solution and they were just preparing for this attack. So when they say they need a ceasefire or a peace deal. This would include stopping the war where it is now but we have to understand they want and operational pause so they can produce more weapons and prepared to attack us again. We will not allow them to do that. We have anymore questions from the audience . This is a twopart question on the black sea. What have you been learning from the maritime strikes on the ports in crimea and is there something the United States can reply supply . We believe that the black sea as a source of attacks on the south of ukraine. Our goal is to dismantle the Russian Black Sea fleet. They have four maritime drones which ukraine we started using them and producing them. As one of those rare situation but a country without a fleet is successful to and fighting another countrys fleet. It has strategic importance but destroy as many they are a source of attacks on our territory and residential areas. They are blocking the black sea and the grain exports after they pulled out of the great deals. From an economic perspective, military perspective, this is a threat we have to deal with. What do we need more of . The ground long range missiles. We are working on aviation, tech helicopters, everything that could be used in order to supplement the capabilities that we have will definitely help. Lets go to tony up in the front. Have you asked for naval vessels at all . First of all, we had a program with the coast guard and we look forward to continuing it. We have received a lot of islands that are forces were trained on. We just have to understand and make clear what difference can they make on the battlefield or they will be attacked right away. Right now, it is very clear we will not get a big Aircraft Carrier as a gift. At the moment these drones and the faster we can build them and the more effectively we can use them in the ground launch capabilities is the priority but also whatever air capabilities we can get which would make a difference. On the maritime drones, are those based in u. S. Technologies . I cannot discuss the technical issues. There are a number of them produced in the ukraine. They use a range of regularly Available Technology but it is 100 ukrainian produced us well as the communication devices. As started as one project but now there are a number of them and we have our own defense. We have a monitor of digital transformation. They pulled their resources together and there are a number of projects are building. On israel, i have another question. Are you concerned that weapons designated for the ukraine will end up being transferred to israel . There have been stories to that effect. Are you concerned about the diversion of ukraine weaponry to israel . Everything that we have agreed with our partners and i cant go into details. But the delivery of the previously announced packages of plans. We are working on additional packages. I am not a military expert but from the discussions it looks like we need different capabilities than israel. What they need and what we need, we dont see anything that would raise concerns about it. The biggest concern is how to find additional weapons and everything else. Last question. Thank you very much. You mentioned earlier that ukraine is a smaller country than your adversary. And you have lost a tremendous number of troops in the past year and a half. What is ukraine capacity to absorb so many of these losses and capacity to absorb all of this equipment and material in an effective way so that your forces are trained to the maximum capability when using these packages . This is a gigantic task that were doing. First of all, to increase the armed forces. From where they were to before the war started. It is a big task. It is amazing what you can do when you are fighting for your home and your life and for your country. It is different than a typical task. Ukrainians have already shown how we can shorten training times. Also all of the other capabilities. We are trying to train people, additional brigades and campaigns. Not as fast as we needed them but much faster than the standard time. We dont have any restrictions on women in the armed forces in 50 of the armed forces are women including the battlefield. I had a couple of my friends is in washington who used to be a lawyer, Business People and to just volunteered and signed up and became shoulders on the frontline. We understand it will take all of us unless we get more weapons so we can win faster. It is a big challenge. Not only for the people on the battlefield but also those who stayed and those who had to flee because their buildings were entirely destroyed. We have 6 million ukrainians that are outside ukraine, primarily women and children. When you have more people needed on the bottle. Its additional stress on the people who are left and civilian villages. In some of these areas you see these completely women run communities because they have to hold the responsibilities to rebuild, become plumbers, electrical engineers. It is a big stress on society in general and that is why we are working on veteran policies already. Because we will have a society with majority veterans. That needs to be taken into account. We have the most mind country in the world and a lot of people who have lost limbs. We have to be able to take all of them back into society and also planned an active defense with the people that we have. It is a big challenge. We have been safe and resolved in this challenge and an effective way. But that is why we need more weapons because if we dont have enough military capabilities, we are replacing it with human heroism. Its the best of us on the front lines. This is one of the areas that i can say a big thank you to the u. S. The training that we have been receiving not only for bottle brigades but for our prosecutors, investigators, the psychologists who work with the victims of horrible abuse, especially an newly liberated areas. The doj is playing crucial rules. Homeland security, its a big effort but remains under the radar. The firefighters, the first responders, the police which participate in active combat in the areas they are working in. The armed forces fighting the war with everyone else doing something else. It is all of us involved in it and supporting the armed forces and sometimes the militarized units, the police are doing active defense if their communities are affected. Im Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States and thank you for joining us today. Again, please come to ukraine. Lets give her a round of applause everybody